TOPAZ HORIZON

From time to time, I post photos and share recipes on my Instagram (follow me @topazhorizonblog and hashtag #MakeItJolly!). Some of those recipes feature Jolly canned goods, like corn, green peas, black beans, pimiento, and a whole lotta mushrooms. While I don't cook every single meal with canned food, I do stock up on a lot of canned goodness because I'm a very busy mommy. On days I need to whip up something quick, healthy and delicious, I go to my canned goods shelf.

Yes, canned food is healthy! Any form of fresh food is good for you. Yes, canned food is fresh! There are a lot of myths surrounding canned food and so lemme bust them for you.

Myth #1: Canned food is not fresh.
Well, it's definitely not corn on the cob that's sitting in your hand, if that's what you mean! But canned food, especially fruit and vegetables, are a step away from fresh in this sense: Fresh from being picked at its best ripeness, fruits and vegetables go straight to the cannery to be cooked and packed, usually within the same day. That's pretty fresh to me!

Farm-to-table food is fantastic, of course. But for us living in the cities, that means hours, maybe even days, being transported from farm to market, and again hours and maybe even days sitting there on the shelf. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always great. Always. As long as you're sure they are actually fresh. If you're not sure, canned and frozen fruits and veggies are a good option. Better canned and frozen than none at all!

Myth #2: Canned food is full of salt. 
Sodium is a known preservative. So people think canned food is absolutely steeped in salt. Not true! There are canned food that need just a bit of salt and there are some don't need salt at all. Jolly uses citric acid for example. That's Vitamin C to us. If salt content bothers you, you can just thoroughly drain then rinse the canned food before cooking or eating.

Myth #3: Canned food is full of preservatives.
Okay, what do I mean about some canned food don't even need salt? So how is it preserved? Is it full of dangerous chemicals? Well, the process of canning means the food is cooked. High temperatures kill bacteria that can cause decay. This bacteria-free food is then sealed tightly in a can, preventing bacteria to contaminate it. Food is now preserved—no salt or chemicals needed.

However, always check the label for ingredients! That's why I choose Jolly. I checked the labels and all Jolly uses in its cans of fruit and veggies are salt, sugar, cornstarch, citric acid. That's it!

Myth #4: Canned food is highly processed.
Canning is not a modern invention. We've been putting food in jars and cans since the 1800s. It's a simple enough process: pick fresh food - wash - put in container - heat - seal. Not highly processed at all. Homemakers have been doing this food preservation method in their own kitchens for hundreds of years. Even little old me has done some canning in my past life (it was a high school project, if I must be honest).

And can we please stop being allergic to the term "processed food"? Lemme give you examples of processed food: cheese, yoghurt, dried fruit, cereal, bread and milk. These are perfectly healthy processed food!

Myth #5: Canned food has no nutritional value.
Remember how I said that canned food is fruits and veggies picked at their best quality? And remember how I said that they go straight to the cannery to be processed at their peak? And remember how I said that canned food uses little to no sodium or preservatives? That means not a lot of nutrients gets lost from canning.

In fact, USDA Food Quality Lab research plant physiologist Gene Lester, Ph.D., told Eating Well magazine, "While some vegetable and legumes lose nutrients in the canning process, others actually see their healthy compounds increase." Examples are corn, tomatoes and pumpkin. Heating them during the canning process releases or increases their antioxidants.

Now that we've busted these myths about canned food, let me share with you a dish my husband made this weekend. Enjoy!



This is a modified recipe from Tastemade's Bismarck Potato Pizza


Lots of bacon
1 large potato
Lots of Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Jolly tomato paste
Jolly mushrooms (we used shiitake but you can use any Jolly mushroom)
3 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Fry bacon in a pan. Set crispy bacon aside.
2. Drain off the bacon oil (set aside for future dishes!) so that the pan is just greased.
3. Cut potato into very thin slices. Arrange potato slices in a ring patter in the same pan that cooked the bacon.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese. As Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss says, "Don't go cheap on the cheese!"
5. Cover and cook on low hear for 5 minutes. 
6. Spread Jolly tomato paste onto the potatoes. 
7. Arrange Jolly mushroom slices and mozzarella cheese on top.
8. Crack the egg at the very center. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. This should be enough to crisp up the potato crust.
9. Transfer the potato pizza onto a plate, pile the bacon on top. Serve!
10. P.S. I seriously think you don't need to add salt anymore because of the cheese and bacon but my husband said he sprinkled salt on the pizza.

Let me share with you a few of the thousands of photos we have of my boys. Only a few make it to social media! The rest we pore over obsessively, usually on those nights just before we go to sleep but the kids still aren't sleepy. So I show them their photos, I tell them the stories behind the pictures, and sometimes I make up silly bedtime stories a la comics style using their pictures.

Like this for example. We will call this story...

Oh my goodness, it's summer!

Well, in the Philiipines, it's either summer season or rainy season so it's actually been summer for a while now. But because we just had a graduation, there's suddenly a clear line marking summer break. And there's just a ton of things to see and do for kids! Like trips abroad, holidays by the beach (our beaches are the best in the world!), activity centers, sports clinics, art workshops, and summer classes.

My kids recently got to try Engineering for Kids and LOVED it. They did. Iñigo even had a meltdown when it was time to go home (this came as a shock because Iñigo doesn't have meltdowns anymore!). Even Vito and Piero lingered and dawdled when it was time to go home. They had so much fun!

They made a moon from DIY play dough. This activity taught them about shapes, texture, numbers.

Waiting for snack time!

Enjoying snack time!

They made rockets to blast off to the moon!

Iñigo built Iron Man from giant Legos.

Now let me tell you a bit about Engineering for Kids. Engineering for Kids is an educational program based heavily on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In a rapidly developing world, engineers and scientists are what's desperately needed but schools don't seem to devote enough time to these subjects, and when they do, maths and sciences are deemed both boring and stressful by students. Engineering for Kids makes STEM fun, challenging and hands-on. Kids learn how important STEM is to understand their world and how it works and to come up with solutions to many problems big and small. Very useful life skills!

If you're near the Katipunan Ave. area in White Plains, do check out Engineering for Kids. It's right by the gate of Blue Ridge, across Pan de Americana, the building with upside down vehicles. Here are their summer offerings:






Enrol in any of the programs and use my discount code: SMILE-0316B. Enjoy!

To learn more about Engineering for Kids and STEM curriculum, click here.

Hi everyone! I'm happy to report that my skin is soooo much better now and I have to thank the new Physiogel Calming Relief creams for that happy news!


Last month, I was at Bangkok for the launch of the Physiogel Calming Relief skincare line—Physiogel's first entry into face care. There I found out that my oily skin is actually dehydrated and sensitive. What a horrible combination!

I can't stress enough how I've been feeling down and insecure with my face. Maybe because I'm turning 40 this year and I just got depressed with the fact that I'm still pimply? Will I wrestle with bad skin for the rest of my life?

I'm not the sort of woman who stays in front of the mirror all day, obsessing over her face. Maybe I should, come to think of it. Maybe if I had cared more, I'd have better skin. But I was too busy chasing after my dreams, building my career, and taking care of my family to be overly concerned with my skin. As I keep reassuring myself, I'm already married anyway so somebody loves me, pimples and all. Plus, I told myself, my kids love me as is, too. What more can a woman want? Well, one of those aforementioned kids stared at me one day and said, "Mama, your face has lots of boo-boos. You should go see a doctor."

I cried! There it was—the reason why I needed to pay more attention to skincare! My son didn't think I was ugly; he thought I was sick! So I finally went to a dermatologist and I finally stuck to a skincare regimen, and that regimen included Physiogel Face Calming Relief. And I'm soooo happy with the results!

Here's my face before using the product:

Sorry for scaring you!

And here's my face after:

Much better!

Let's look at that again side-by-side.

No makeup on the after photo (okay, okay, I had to put on my eyebrows so I'm not too pangit!).

My first boy graduated from preschool last weekend and we're so proud!

Vito's been feeling emotional these past few months. He's excited to go to big school; he's sad to leave small school. He's thrilled he's a big boy now; he's afraid of going to be all alone in the new school. He's looking forward to meeting new friends; he's unhappy about not seeing his classmates every day. Yep, it's been emotional for all of us!

But last Saturday, it all culminated into one big day: Graduation day!

Aaaaand I couldn't resist—I went shopping for new clothes for Vito! He'll have two outfits: one casual look for the dance numbers, and a more formal get-up for the diploma ceremony. Here's what I grabbed from Mango Kids:

OOTD 1: Neon yellow shirt, Php 395. Jeans, Php 1,295

OOTD 2: Gingham long-sleeved shirt, P995. Navy trousers, Php 1,495

And here he was at graduation:

Soooo cute and stylish! And yet really simple and comfortable, which is just the way my boy likes his outfits.

You look adorable, Vito! We love you and we're so proud of you!

Mango Kids are at SM Mall of Asia, Ayala Center Cebu, BF Paranaque, Trinoma, Glorietta, Eastwood Mall and SM Megamall. Enjoy shopping, moms and dads! There’s a ton of super cute stuff for boys and girls. I'm shopping for summer staples next!

Ever wondered how much food you should actually eat but never got the hang of counting calories? Nope? Well, I have. This infographic that I got from Precision Nutrition is quite handy. Yep, pun intended!


Cool, right? This just convinced me what I already know: I eat too much carbs. I can polish off two plates of rice! In one sitting! So that's why I never could lose this soft big belly!

And I also realized what I've always known anyway: I eat too little meat, not enough vegetables, and a little too much fat. Add sugary drinks and, well, there goes my health!

Will definitely use these handy tips for my meals from now on. Must take care of myself since I have three little boys depending on me to stay alive to raise them!

If you're a man, just click the link to find out how to use your hands to measure your portions.

Happy Monday!


UPDATE April 9, 2016, around 3 weeks later: OMG THIS IS SO HARD. I CAN'T DO IT!


*images from PrecisionNutrition.com

Another thing I have been wanting to ask you is, how did you forgive people who you helped financially? I have been praying to God to give me a forgiving heart pero minsan, I can't help but think, pano mo ifo-forgive eh hindi nga sila nanghihingi ng forgiveness? Ni hindi nila nakikita na nahu-hurt nila ang family n'yo by being a financial burden!

A.B.

Dear A.B.,

Don't attend reunions. I don't. Because your observation is correct: It's all compare, compare, compare. And no matter what you've made of yourself, someone's always going to make more money than you, look better than you, have a hotter spouse, and have a career more exciting than yours—and all of this is stuff that you probably don't want anyway! Even though your heart knows that you don't want what they have, all the negative energy in the room will make you want what you don't want. Like your high school ex maybe. Eww.

Joking aside, I can tell you with all honesty that I don't feel envy at all. I'm too happy with my life to be envious of others. You see, I know myself too well. For example, I have friends who travel all the time. That's nice but I know myself—I hate traveling. I like my home too much! So I'm just happy for my traveler friends and appreciate their stories and photos. I also have friends who have closets full of designer bags. I love nice bags, too! But I know my life—right now, my kids will just destroy everything I own so I patiently wait for the day I can own an expensive bag without worrying the kids will draw on it, spill juice in it or smear chocolate on it. Now this one I'll admit was a recent struggle: I have blogger friends who have amazing blogs and terrific traffic. I want that, too! But I quickly realized that right now my kids need my attention more so the blog will have to wait. And that's okay.

So the important tip: Know yourself and what you really want. That's it. If you know who you are, know what you want, and be brave enough to go after it, then you know nothing can shake you from your purpose. And you'll be filled with happiness and peace, which allows you to be happy for others instead of getting envious of them.

Besides, people will always have something to say. Because we're writers (and, worse, I'm a blogger, which a lot of people find hysterical), Vince and I hear "concern" all the time. It does get on our nerves, to be honest. That's why it's important to know who you are and what you want. Eyes on the prize, A.B.! Vince and I are the happiest people we know. We may not be shopping every day, we may not have a huge house, but we're living a good life, a full life, on our terms. Money can't buy the deliciousness of that!

As for your second question... Well, you just do. Forgive. Help because you have a good heart. Help because you can. You seriously don't have to help, you know. Not helping someone financially is not a crime, but you help anyway because you're a good person. That is enough compensation—the knowledge that God has blessed you with more than enough and the undeniable truth that you may think you're bad for not wanting to help but because you did, then you are a better person than you think. You are a good person. So be good all the way!

It took me a looooong time to get to this point. Like you, I struggled with anger (and even hate) at the people who just take and take and take. They don't even say thanks! But I dunno. Maybe old age has softened my heart. What makes it easier for us also is we give money, we don't lend. So for example if someone asks to borrow P10,000, we'll say, "We can give you P5,000. It's yours." Then because we gave what we can, we can forget the money. It's not a niggling little worm that eats us.

You're the lucky one, A.B. That puts you in an incredibly privileged position. Help because you can. Forgive because you must.

Then email me so I can send you your Happy Skin lip glosses! Have a great weekend!

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If you have a question for me, send an email to frances@topazhorizon.com with "Ask Frances" on the subject.